"May I ask why you need me to go to Utgard-Loki?" Tyr said with his head cocked.

"Out of the great Jotunn kings Utgard-Loki is the only one to have ever bested Asgard's best. But Utgard-Loki did not do this through true measures, rather illusions and tricks. This has led to some of the Jotunn who stand against Asgard to try and persuade him to their cause, and one such individual has succeeded. Whoever it was has convinced Utgard-Loki to use his home as a prison to hold allies of the Aesir, chief amongst them now is Ivaldi the dwarf."

"Idunn's father? Why have the dwarves not tried to rescue him?"

"Many mortals think that the dwarves are great warriors just as they are great craftsman, but in truth only one in fifty dwarves will have the will to learn how to fight, and fewer still to do so when the time come. They would sooner use their powers to escape than fight. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a captured dwarf to craft items for the captor as a way to win their freedom. This is what concerns me the most, for while Brokk and Sindri may have proven themselves better smiths than Ivaldi's own sons, they were both trained by Ivaldi himself. I believe that with enough time Ivaldi could outfit an entire Jotunn army to storm Asgard."

"And you also believe that it is Utgard-Loki's illusions that are what keeps Ivaldi from escaping. Therefore, my ability to see through all illusions will help free our allies from Utgard-Loki."

"As well as make the Jotunn who stand against Asgard believe that we have a way to break what they considered a stronghold of theirs anytime we wish." agreed Odin.

"I will free the prisoners of Utgard-Loki, where do I begin?"

"In the Iron Woods. Follow me." Said Odin, reigning Slephnir to the left and setting off in a gallop. Tyr followed on Silrtopp. They rose through the air once more and soon reached a forest of dull gray trees, each as wide as Tyr was tall. Odin had them slowed to a trot and moved deeper into the forest until a mist began to appear in front of them.

Suddenly, Odin pulled a large dagger which then became a spear and gestured for Tyr to stopped. Tyr then heard the sound of large footsteps steadily falling. Looking in the direction of the sound, Tyr saw the shadow of something massive within the mist, blocking any light from its side as it moved. For a moment, the massive shadow stopped near them, still unrecognizable through the mist, then it continued to walk along whatever route it seemed to be taking.

Odin then breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank Valhalla she stayed in the mists."

"You looked afraid Odin."

"You might consider being too if you faced that thing yourself."

"What was that anyway?"

"One of Thoth's guard dogs to prevent access to other realms. A witch who wanders the mists of the Iron Woods inside a walking hut. Her magic is unlike any in the nine realms, and it is powerful enough to outmatch my own."

"Thoth has this witch guard the Iron Woods? Why?"

"There are times when a mist is more than mist. Beyond this is a realm that doesn't belong to the nine, yet so long as she walks none can pass.

"Also, Thoth says he didn't command her to guard the mist, but I know otherwise."

"Why do you suspect Thoth of lying?"

"He once, when I trusted him more believing him to be Mimir's son, had me send three hundred Aesir warriors to their death, and giving the Jotunn a foothold in Midgard which doubled the mortals death for ten years. When I confronted him about it, he gave this long speech about how those Aesir would spur war with the Jotunn much too soon and how the foothold would placate the Jotunn for a few decades and how all this added time before Ragnarök appears. Thoth showed me then he cares nothing for any life save his own, and will do anything to delay Ragnarök. More so than I or others would consider. Trust me on this Tyr, Thoth will tell you what you want to hear if he thinks it will aid him. but enough of that charlatan, we are here."

Odin pointed to a large tree with a hollowed trunk that was wide enough for Tyr to climb in.

"The hollow of this tree reaches from here to the realm of Jotunnheim." Odin explained. "Though it is thankfully one way as the Jotunn could not use it even if they did know about it. From here you will enter Jotunheim unseen by their guards who watch the major routes and be under the nose of both the Jotunns and Thoth."

"Looks like I will have to walk when I reach Jotunheim, and how do I find Utgard-Loki's home?"

"Not far from where you come out of this tree will be a lake. By the description that Loki and Thor gave of their journey to Utgard-Loki, his home is in the fields beyond it. As to its exact location I cannot say, only where it was said to be before. Good luck Tyr."

Tyr shook Odin's hand, then squeezed himself into the hollow, after which he began to sink through the tree and fell into daylight below. Upon catching himself, Tyr heard a voice behind him.

"The next time you see Odin, would you kindly tell him that I know of this and other routes, I just focus on keeping those that go outside the nine realms secure. Also, I don't have guard dogs, for some reason they just don't like me."